Chapter 116: Fear of a King

There was silence as Amos looked at the king, then at the seer, he looked worried. He was deeply curious about what the king was planning to do. Months back, King Vrazen had suddenly written a letter to the werewolves saying he no longer wanted the senerp. That news had surprised him, and he wondered what had made the king write that after all the years of their struggle, planning, and effort..only to quench it all with a single letter. Now, Amos was curious about what was going through his mind. One thing about the vampires—they do not go back on their word. Once a letter is written, that is final. They must follow their word. Vrazen calmly dropped the pen, his expression very neutral. "Are you saying that we should kidnap the queen?" he asked, as the lady trembled, her body shivering. "I do not know, my king. Something seems to be wrong with my sight—it is like my vision is blocked. There... is more information, but I just don’t know which," she spoke truthfully, and Vrazen remained quiet. "Zavren is a madman... that idiot would never just give his wife’s blood to us even if we ask nicely," he said. "Any other remedy?" he asked, and the lady nodded. "Speak." *** Back at the castle, the entire atmosphere shifted—the castle felt the change in the air. Zavren just stood there, his expression calm. The baby had cried herself to sleep and was placed in a specially prepared bed. The royal doctor moved hastily from one tube to another, connecting them from different places. At this point, the fear clinging to her was worse than ever. And not to mention...the king now stood there, his face calm, giving nothing away. He was so cold, it would’ve been better if he had just roared. "More tube! The extra tube! Herbs! Towels—more towels!" the doctor shouted, and they all rushed in and out. "She’s losing blood!" she said quickly. Ariana’s breathing was very light—so light that they would have thought she wasn’t breathing at all, if not for the slight twitch in her fingers. "Oh no...Nurse Amy, get the injections! Please, make haste!" The lady moved quickly, each person having a task to do. They rushed as the royal doctor noticed the numbness in Ariana’s lower body. Her face filled with deep worry, but she spoke in a calm, professional tone. She didn’t want to cause more harm—they had succeeded halfway. "Your Highness, your wife is okay. We’ve managed to stop the numbness from spreading through her body and leading to a coma. Given that she is human and gave birth to a wolf child... it’s a miracle this happened. she is the first human to survi—" Zavren’s cold eyes landed on the woman, and she immediately gulped down her words, swallowing the rest. That was the reason why Lady Emberg had said he had broken the one rule: a werewolf and a human were not meant to marry, as there was a high chance of the mother dying during childbirth. And if fate wanted to punish even more, both mother and child could die. That was why the moon-goddess gave them a chance—if a werewolf was mated to a human, the moon-goddess gave the werewolf the opportunity to accept or reject its mate. "Luna Ariana cannot walk for now. The seer will bring the Black Water that she must drink every day. And Your Highness..." She paused, turned to Ariana, then shifted her gaze back and spoke, "The water is rare, and if it is not taken within three days after the numbness begins, she would..." she paused again, letting the words hang in the air. The baby lay on the specially designed bed, calmly staring around as she was now "The child needs to take her mother’s milk now, Your Highness," the lady said, as one of the nurses moved to carry the child. Zavren’s eyes rested on Ariana’s lazy ones. He sat her up gently his large hands resting on her back gently...and finally, a smile landed on his face. Ariana held the child in her hands as the nurses quietly began to leave, giving the couple some privacy. Zavren moved to the other side and sat, now facing her. He gently held the child’s head so lightly on his palm, assisting Ariana as she brought down her gown and began to breastfeed their baby. Zavren’s lips curled up into a smile as he looked at Ariana, then at the little child who was sucking peacefully, her eyes staring up at her mother—perhaps filled with curiosity and silent questions. "My wife... you have made me the happiest king in the whole universe," Zavren said, his voice soft with emotion. Ariana’s smile widened. "Oh really?" she mind-linked, her eyes locked on his. Zavren nodded as he gently adjusted his hand to lightly support the baby’s back before slowly pulling away. He nodded again as Ariana’s gaze lingered on his, filled with deep admiration. "Tell me, sweetheart... those three words. Say them again. I want to hear it," he said calmly. Ariana smiled again, her gaze drifting to the baby’s peaceful face that warmed her heart. Her daughter had finally fallen asleep. She adjusted herself and turned to Zavren. Carefully, she lifted the baby, and Zavren received her with such tenderness. He placed the child on her rolling bed and, with gentle care, pushed it closer to where Ariana lay, careful not to wake the baby. He returned and sat back beside her. Ariana, now lying down, raised her hand to her chin as she mind-linked again. "Honey, what three words? I have no idea what you’re talking about." Zavren chuckled softly. He didn’t want to tease her...not now. They could talk about that later. He didn’t even understand how those words had triggered such deep emotions: pain because she had stopped breathing... and surprise, because he was sure...absolutely sure—she had mouthed she loved him yet his mind refused to believe. "Sweetheart... she has your eyes and my hair. Such a beauty," Zavren said proudly. Ariana’s eyes glinted. "What should we call her?" she asked through the link. Zavren chuckled. These past few months, Ariana had changed her mind countless times. She would choose a name, only to change it again...this happened with both boy and girl names. They were supposed to know the baby’s gender, but Ariana’s case was different. "Sweetheart, if I recall correctly, you gave her like fifteen names. Stella... Anna... Gabriella..." Ariana’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe Zavren had kept all those names in mind. The fact that he called them out surprised her deeply. Who knew her husband was keeping track? "But I want something unique, my love," she mind-linked. Zavren’s body went still, turning rigid. Did he just hear her right? Ariana’s face glowed with pure joy at his reaction. "My wife... did you just..." His words caught in his throat, and Ariana nodded gently, her lips curled into a soft smile. Zavren could hardly believe it—his wife was truly something else. "Oh, my wife... you scared me today. I had no idea I could ever feel such fear in my life," he said quietly, his voice cracking slightly. Ariana’s hand moved to her mouth in disbelief. Was her husband really the one saying this? Especially with the way his hands trembled ever so slightly, and the way his voice sounded nervous? Zavren facepalmed himself with a chuckle, shaking his head. Who would have thought that the cold, ruthless alpha would one day feel such fear? It was like his soul had been crushed into dust. He reached for her hands and brought them to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. Ariana’s smile widened. She knew... she had known she was in love with him from the very beginning. She had just tried to ignore it. She had plans—she wasn’t sure if the moon goddess was punishing her now, seeing how her plan to escape had been ruined. Her legs were numb... she couldn’t walk. Zavren, noticing the way her eyes dropped to her lap, spoke gently. "You don’t have to worry, sweetheart. Your legs will heal in no time. You just need to take the Black Water." Ariana nodded. Why was he so kind to her? So good? She didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad. He was too good to her—and it made it harder and harder to even think about escaping. In fact... at this point, she wasn’t even sure why she wanted to escape anymore. Was she selfish? Maybe. Because she had a loving husband. Zavren then spoke again. "I’ll need to arrange the room, my wife. By morning, we’ll change into a new one," he said. Ariana nodded. "The seer has to come. We need the Black Water to begin healing your legs," he added. Again, Ariana smiled warmly in return. Zavren stood as he turned to leave, walking toward the door—but then he froze. "Z... Zavren..." her voice rang out. He stopped mid-motion. That voice didn’t just echo in his mind...it echoed in the room. "She... she spoke."